


The Girl and the Ghost

by PantyPoison



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Brief Mention of Suicide, F/F, mostly fluffy stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-13
Updated: 2012-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-14 03:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/510850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PantyPoison/pseuds/PantyPoison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which ghostbuster Jade Harley strikes up an unlikely friendship with a ghost named Rose.<br/>Written for HSO Olympics 2012.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Girl and the Ghost

The floorboards of the old house creaked under her footsteps as she stepped inside one of the dark rooms. It was a routine ghostbusting mission for Jade Harley. She felt the familiar, exhilarating rush of cold air that indicated an ethereal presence nearby. Not finding a light switch, she grabbed the flashlight from her belt and switched it on. It looked to be a teenager's bedroom, one who had possessed many books and had left their clothes scattered everywhere.

She listened intently for any sudden movements. She could hear her partner John a floor below her, exterminating something and yelling happily. He must have found a ghost already, dang it! He was always first. She moved the flashlight back down to the floor, pausing to bend down and examine of the garments that were littered freely around the room.

“Didn't your mother ever teach you how impertinent it is to rifle through one's personal belongings?”

The voice caught Jade off guard, making her drop her flashlight. She looked up and found that she would not have even needed one. A figure floated above her, a short haired girl around Jade's own age, glowing a pale blue against the darkness. She looked annoyed, her arms crossed over her chest. Jade on the other hand was fascinated. “Hey, you're a girl!” she blurted out, smiling.

The spirit raised an eyebrow. “Would you like an award for that brilliant revelation?”

“Oh no, I just meant..well, I normally don't get to see human ghosts! Just demons and stuff.”

“Ah. Well, you will find an adequate amount of those creatures here as well. Though I wouldn't advise consorting with them, too acrimonious to be reasoned with.”

“Oh, I know that. They're not hard to get rid of, though. Me and John do it all the time!” Jade said brightly.

The other girl's eyes darkened. “And you're planning to eradicate me as well, I presume?”

“Oh no, I didn't mean-” Jade tried to step towards the girl, but found herself tripping over one of the piles of clothes on the floor. She landed with a hard thud, which made the ghost chuckle above her. Jade was about to say something else when the door opened behind her. John stepped in and looked down at her, confused.

“Jade, are you okay? Find any ghosts down there?”

Jade laughed and stood up, brushing herself off. The ghost girl had disappeared. She thought for a moment before looking at John. “Nope, no ghosts in here!”

John tilted his head and smiled. “Weird. Then why were you in here talking to yourself like a crazy old coot?”

Jade groaned and swatted at him amiably. The two of them exited the room, Jade pausing to look over her shoulder. She silently vowed to come back later before closing the door.

~

“Why didn't you inform your companion of my existence?”

The next time Jade visits the ghost girl, it's daytime. The two were both seated on the girl's bed, Jade petting a stuffed cat absentmindedly. “I dunno. You left to hide so quickly I figured you didn't want to be found out.”

“Please don't refer to it as 'hiding', it makes me appear cowardly. I had only the preservation of my existence in mind. Well, whatever existence I have left, anyway.” She gestured at her form critically. She looks different in the sunlight; almost like a living being, save for the fact that she doesn't breathe and her chest is completely still. Jade could see what she must have looked like when she was alive. Though Jade did think she would look better with a more cheerful expression. The ghost seemed far away, a small frown on her face and her brows furrowed as if frustrated.

“Hey, it's okay! I guess I would have done the same thing. Plus, John can get a little scary when he's in full ghostbusting mode.” The last part was intended to be a joke, but it only made the ghost raise an eyebrow. Jade shook her head and changed the subject. “But anyway, um...oh! I was sorta wondering...why did you decide to talk to me the other night? I probably would have missed you if you hadn't said anything.”

The spirit pondered this for a moment. “I'm not entirely sure,” she said, her gaze moving from Jade to the open window. “I suspect I may have just had enough of the relentless seclusion that comes from no longer dwelling in the living realm. Having no one to converse with can become maddening eventually. And as you will recall I mentioned, ghosts don't make for the best company. Even among one another.”

Jade shrugged and pushed the stuffed cat she had been holding back towards its owner. “Well, I like your company..even if you are a ghost.”

The spirit looked down at her stuffed animal, then back to a smiling Jade. Her own expression hadn't changed. If anything, she seemed more perplexed.

~

A few visits later, Jade finally learns her specter's name.

“So, Rose..what does being dead feel like?”

Rose scoffed from her seat on the old house's balcony. The two had taken to it to watch the stars since it was a nice, clear night. “I beg to differ. While my corpse may be lying in a subterranean chamber and nourishing various colonies of insects, my soul is quite alive and arguably has never been better. You'd be amazed how enlightened one becomes, traversing from one realm to another.”

“Ha, I guess you're right! But I was talking about more..you know, physical stuff.”

Rose shrugged thoughtfully. “I hardly notice the difference, to be quite honest. Though I suppose invisibility and levitation, albeit considerably limited levitation, are appealing assets regardless.”

Jade's eyes widened. “That's so cool! I bet you can walk through walls too, huh?”

“That particular skill actually varies from spirit to spirit. I've never been able to perfect it myself; in fact, I even lack the basic transparent property that comes naturally to many of my kind. Shameful really, considering I've been haunting this ramshackle sty for a few years now.” She avoids Jade's gaze, looking down at her hands instead.

“You mean if I tried to touch you, it would actually work? Not just pass through?” Jade was intrigued.

Rose turned back to face her. “Allow me your hand,” she said, holding her own out to Jade. Jade straightened up immediately. She cautiously took her hand and surprised at what she felt. Before she realized it, a little gasp escaped her. Something that looked like concern flitted across Rose's face for just a moment before she asked, “Are you alright, Jade?”

“You're...really cold!” Indeed, Rose's hand was freezing to the touch.

The blonde rolled her eyes. “Well I am deceased after all, Jade. My deepest and sincerest apologies for not fulfilling your assuredly altitudinous expectations of what this moment would entail.”

Jade giggled. “No, no, I just didn't expect that! Does my hand feel weird to you?”

Rose looked down at their linked hands for a moment before replying. “Weird is not the term I would use. It's...a pleasant change, I suppose. You may release me if this proves to be too discomfiting for you.”

Jade merely squeezed Rose's hand in response. It's also the first time Jade has seen the ghost girl actually crack a small smile.

~

“There's something we need to discuss, Jade.” Rose says about a month later.

Jade could sense it the minute she had walked into Rose's room, the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Looking at her friend does nothing to ease her fears. Rose was much fainter, like she was barely there. Jade was sure if she stepped into a shadow she would disappear from view entirely. Still, she tries to smile, though it comes out uneasy. “I-is everything okay?”

Rose had her arms crossed protectively, her face terribly apologetic. “Jade..I feel that my time in this world may be reaching its conclusion.”

“You're..leaving? But why?”

“It's difficult to elaborate on.”

“It's not my fault, is it?” Jade blurts. There's a horrible sinking feeling in her heart.

“Quite the contrary. Were it not for your compassion and hospitality, I would lack the strength to be in this position.”

Jade looked confused, so Rose continued. “The night I died, I was hopelessly alone. I had become reclusive and depressed to the point where my existence seemed bleak and impossible. My mother was an alcoholic. She failed to notice the piteous state of my mind. This knowledge only escalated my grief, and soon enough I was not only miserable, but furious. It was the final thought in my mind, before I swallowed a gratuitous amount of pills and washed it down with her favorite liquor. I wanted to spite her.”

Jade just listened intently, almost in disbelief at what she was hearing.

Rose shook her head and continued. “Afterward, I remained enraged for a very long time. Even when my mother moved elsewhere and the house became abandoned and desolate, I refused to relinquish my feelings of hatred and misery. They remained my solitary substantiation, until you came along.” She smiled. “You reached out to me, even as I was blinded by those poisonous reminders of my previous life. The very things that kept me resigned to haunting this wretched house, you subdued them with your enormous heart and magnanimous nature. It's because of your immutable kindness that I now have the strength to move on to a far better place. Forgive me for sounding dramatic..but I really do owe you an eternal gratitude, Jade.”

Jade rushed forward to hug Rose. There was something much different about her; instead of feeling cold, the ghost actually felt warm, pulsing with a foreign energy. Jade looked at Rose meaningfully and tried to say something, but she found herself still speechless at all the blonde had said. Her face was wet from tears she didn't even notice. Rose tried to smile at her reassuringly. “Here now, none of this mourning on my account.”

Jade had to take a deep breath before replying. “I-I'm just...really going to miss you, Rose. You're one of the best friends I've ever had.”

Rose sighed and hugged her closer. “It won't be forever. I can assure you that our paths will cross again.”

Jade didn't reply immediately, but she didn't have to. That grave knowledge hung heavy around them, so bleak that neither of them felt inclined to call attention to it.

Rose racked her brain for a solution. “I seem to recall hearing something from another ghost, a time ago. Apparently it's not impossible for the dead to visit the living again even after they had passed on. How vivid do your dreams tend to be, Jade?”

Jade pulled apart slightly to look at Rose in disbelief. “You mean you can do that?”

“It's difficult to achieve but not unfeasible. I'll find a way, that's a promise.”

“I've seen how strong and smart you are, Rose. I believe you can do it, I really do!”

Rose flushed at that. “Excellent to know that.”

Jade apparently couldn't keep her eagerness to herself in that moment. She leaned forward and kissed Rose full on the lips. The blonde was only surprised for an instant before she felt herself melting into the kiss as well. As they embraced, Rose felt just as close and real to Jade as any human. This only encouraged her more. Soon enough Jade broke apart to smile cheekily at Rose, who was blushing considerably. “Well..would you care to enlighten me as to how I deserved that?”

Jade grinned. “That was just a little motivation! Did I come off too strong?”

“No complaints here.” As she says this, Rose is quite literally glowing.


End file.
